Parltrack

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Emphasises that the success of EU law always depends on its application and transposition; considers regular, careful and effective controls to be essential in this area, and calls on the Commission to intervene in the event of deficiencies in transposition and to continue to cooperate closely with Parliament in this regard;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Welcomes the commitment shown by the Commission towards addressing problems identified by citizens and businesses affecting the Single Market, however expresses disappointment at the depth shown in the Working Paper;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Stresses the need to address the problems experienced by citizens and businesses; notes that despite the minimal evidence included in the Working Paper, many of the problem areas identified have been subject to recent impact assessments and proposals by the Commission; strongly considers that where action is proposed the Commission must produce robust and conclusive evidence in favour of the policy option chosen in the draft legislation; calls on the Parliament to give full consideration to the accuracy and persuasiveness of the impact assessments produced by the Commission when considering draft proposals, in order that adopted legislation meets the needs of citizens and businesses alike;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Considers ~~comprehens~~objective and appropriate levels of information ~~concerning~~about the internal market for citizens, consumers and businesses to be ~~essential in the internal market~~useful; calls on the Commission and the Member States to prioritise this and, above all, to make the ~~necessary~~requisite funding available and use it economically;

Amendment 6 #

Dimitar STOYANOV

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Considers comprehensive and appropriate levels of information ~~concerning~~for citizens, consumers and businesses regarding their rights to be essential in the internal market; calls on the Commission and the Member States to prioritise this and, above all, to ~~make the necessary funding available~~provide sufficient funding for conducting information campaigns to this end;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Considers comprehensive and appropriate levels of information ~~concerning~~for citizens, consumers and businesses to be essential in the internal market; calls on the Commission and the Member States to prioritise this, to develop useful information systems and communication strategies, in particular with regard to citizens’ social rights, and, above all, to make the necessary funding available;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Considers it important to exchange information between national systems and, in this context, welcomes the recent linking of business registers1; con~~tinues to urge~~siders cross- border cooperation on administration or improved networking through central platforms to be useful in specific areas;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Considers it important to exchange information and promote cooperation between national systems and, in this context, welcomes the recent linking of business registers12; continues to urge cross- border cooperation on administration orand improved networking through central platforms; welcomes Commission initiatives to this effect, such as initiatives to develop a system for the electronic transmission of social security information between national social security systems;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

~~1 Legislative Resolution of the European Parliament of 14 February 2012 (2011/0038(COD)), P7_TA(2012)0033.~~4a. Endorses the commitment shown to addressing the issue of regulatory burdens; in this regard recalls the previous commitment of the Parliament to require the Commission to identify equivalent cost offsets when proposing new legislation; further recalls the Parliament's request that the programme for administrative burden reduction be extended and expanded, and therefore looks forward to proposals to reduce administrative burdens and regulatory nuisances which would address many of the citizens' and businesses' main concerns regarding the Single Market;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Considers that a strong adherence to the 'Think Small First' principle would ensure that future legislation does not introduce further difficulties and frustrations for citizens and businesses engaging in the Single Market;

Amendment 12 #

Tadeusz ZWIEFKA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Stresses that, despite the simplification of legislation and the reduction inof administrative ~~effort regarding the utilisation of internal market freedoms by businesses, it is generally~~burden, the European Union needs a company law framework that should be further adapted to the growing cross-border dimension, the development of new business models, and the evolution of the economic environment, whereas it is necessary to secure the safety and health provisions that protect consumers and employees;

Amendment 13 #

Tadeusz ZWIEFKA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Regards effective enforcement as particularly important with regard to Internet sales and welcomes the proposal for online dispute settlement; considers improved information for consumers about their existing rights to be essential; in this respect intends to examine carefully the proposal for a Common European Sales Law that has great potential to make on- line business more accessible and legally predictable to both consumers and businesses, and emphasises that this must guarantee a very high level of consumer protection; at the same time calls for the establishment of ‘standard European template contracts’; considers it important to establish appropriate regulations for digital content;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Regards effective enforcement as particularly important with regard to Internet sales and welcomes the proposal for online dispute settlement; considers improved information for consumers about their existing rights to be essential; intends to examine carefully the proposal for a Common European Sales Law and emphasises that this must guarantee a very high level of consumer protection; at the same time calls for the establishment of ‘standard European template contracts’; considers it important to establish appropriate regulations for digital content;Amendment does not affect the English

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Agrees with the Commission that differences in contract law do not represent one of the root causes of dissatisfaction with online shopping within Europe; calls therefore on an extensive examination of the necessity and utility of the proposal for a Common European Sales Law; considers that alternative proposals would provide citizens and businesses with the comfort needed to carry out business online, in particular proposals on ADR and ODR;

Amendment 16 #

Tadeusz ZWIEFKA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. In the area of the effective protection of intellectual property, refers to the prevention of brand and product piracy and emphasises that a reasonable balance must always be found between the interests of ~~content holders, the interests of those employed in the relevant sector, and~~ right holders and all other p~~rotection of private data~~arties concerned;

source: PE-487.989

2012/03/28 ITRE 54 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Draft opinion
Subheading 1

Single Market for Energy ~~bills~~

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Recalls that the EU legislation in force is intended to protects the rights of consumers and provides a solid foundation for a competitive European energy market; however, it has not yet been transposed adequately or properly into national legislation in several Member States;

Amendment 3 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Regrets that the free movement of services, accounting for 70 % of the Union's GDP, is severely constrained by administrative obstacles and diverging national rules; urges therefore for a fully implemented and extended Service Directive covering all services in a modern knowledge-based economy;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Calls on the~~Urging all Member States to ~~accelerate the implementation of this EU legislation, and~~fully implement the third energy package and other related EU legislation respecting agreed deadlines; asks the Commission to undertake vigorous monitoring of the transposition of these rules;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Recalls that the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union, art. 194, establishes that the Union policy on energy shall be driven by a spirit of solidarity between Member States; points out that the completion of the internal market of energy should take into account the structural socio-economic differences of the European regions and should not impose burdens on Member States;

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Urgent action is needed, nationally and at EU level to remove planning and regulatory barriers to investments in energy infrastructure to release the potential of the single market;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Calls on the Commission to promote urgent measures aimed at overcoming the energy infrastructural imbalances existing in the European Union that represent an obstacle to the completion of the internal energy market and the achievement of the Europe 2020 goals;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Urges the Member States to provide NRAs with the powers and resources needed to exercise their duties, e.g. monitoring and proper customer complaint handling; asks the Commission and ACER to propose recommendations on how the NRAs' supervisory powers could be improved; calls on the Commission to promote improvements to the coordination and the exchange of best practices and information among NRAs, national and European competent authorities;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Emphasises the fact that significant differences exist between energy bills, depending on the supplier, with regard to the quantity and quality of information provided to European energy consumers and emphasises that it is essential to provide consumers with timely and adequate information on consumption and pricing so that they can choose the energy supplier they wish;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Points out that the active participation of consumers isand consumer information campaigns will be needed in order to benefit from the dissemination of smart energy systems; calls on the Member States to promote smart meters which provide consumers with clear view on their energy consumption. Emphasises that the European gas and electricity prices shall be reasonable, transparent and easily comparable; stresses the need to promote transparent billing, standard format of invoices and the dissemination of effective and comprehensive price comparison tools, as well as easy and fast supplier switching;

Amendment 11 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Points out that the ~~active~~ participation of consumers is needed in order to benefit from the dissemination of smart energy systems in particular with regard to renewable energies and energy efficiency- oriented facilities; calls on the Commission to stimulate and enable the participation of consumers in the realizations of smart energy systems, in particular through the elaboration of accessible, efficient and transparent funding schemes; stresses the need to promote transparent billing and the dissemination of clear, effective and comprehensive price comparison tools, as well as easy and fast supplier switching;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Points out that in some EU Member States, consumers have hitherto been unable to choose electricity suppliers freely and pay a competitive and fair price for electricity; points out that the active participation of consumers is needed in order to benefit from the dissemination of smart energy systems; stresses the need to promote transparent billing and the dissemination of effective and comprehensive price comparison tools, as well as efasyt and feasty supplier switching;

Amendment 13 #

Fiona HALL

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Points out that the active participation of consumers is needed in order to benefit from the dissemination of smart energy systems; stresses the need to promote transparent ~~billing~~and accurate billing based on actual consumption and the dissemination of effective and comprehensive price comparison tools, as well as easy and fast supplier switching; emphasises that comprehensive advice and training should be provided to consumers to ensure their active participation;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Encourages the establishment of a common methodology and a common, comprehensive and easy-to-use format for energy-related bills, with a minimum level of information that suppliers should include when billing, to allow consumers to understand the content of their energy bills anywhere in the EU and thus to use energy more economically and efficiently;

Amendment 15 #

Bendt BENDTSEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Points to the positive results obtained in certain Member States where energy savings requirements imposed on energy companies have led to many advantages results, including the more widespread use of smart electricity meters for the benefit of consumers;

Amendment 16 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Draws attention to the importance of measures to increase energy efficiency, especially in the building sector; calls on the Member States to ensure a sufficient number of energy auditors are in place so that the energy audit is accessible to all consumers; calls on the Member States and the Commission, in the future multi- annual financial framework, to ensure resources for the financing of energy efficiency measures in the building sector and, especially, in the housing sector; calls on the Member States and the Commission to develop a legal framework to encourage and ensure the involvement of energy suppliers in implementing measures to increase the energy performance of buildings;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Subheading 2

~~Internet and telephone services~~Digital Single Market

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Subheading 2

Internet ~~and~~, telephone and mobile telephone services

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Commission to monitor the market and address legislative gaps ~~should they arise~~constituting impediments to the full completion of the digital and telecommunication internal market;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Reminding that a Digital Single Market, where services can flow freely on a 500 million consumer market, is a crucial driver for competitiveness and economic growth, providing highly- qualified jobs and facilitating EU's convergence into a knowledge driven economy;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Points out that a European market with nearly 500 million people connected to high-speed broadband would act as a spearhead for the development of the internal market; stresses the need to connect the digital agenda with the provisions of new services such as e-trade, e-health, e-learning, e-banking and e- government services;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5c. Calls for the establishment of a 'one- stop-shop' for VAT in each Member State in order to facilitate cross-border e- commerce for SMEs and entrepreneurs;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5d (new)

5d. Stresses the urgent need for the EU to provide business and consumers with confidence and means to trade online in order to increase cross-border trade; therefore calls for simplification of licensing systems and the creation of an efficient framework for copyright;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6

6. Calls on the Member States to implement the EU telecommunications legislation in a timely fashion, and asks the Commission to closely examine this implementation process and to penalise non- implementation;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Points out that a roaming-free Europe for mobile telecommunication should be a goal of the European Union, to be urgently achieved, as a mean to complete the digital and telecommunication internal market, trigger the competition among service providers by enabling the entrance of new companies, enforce consumers' rights and provide a consistent and resilient digital and telecommunication platform for the EU;

Amendment 26 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 7

7. Urges the Member States to ensure that NRAs have the resources enabling them to monitor and penalise unequal quality of service, and that consumer feedback is taken into account; calls on the Member States to launch information campaigns to make consumers aware of their rights in order to increase their negotiating power in relation to communications service providers;

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8

8. Calls on NRAs and consumer organisations to provide a clear and transparent overview of the telecommunications services and prices offered to consumers. Recommends that prices for telecommunication services (for example voice, SMS, data) should appear in a uniform price per minute, price per SMS, price per MB format in order to facilitate the comparison of the services offered, and in order for bundles to be comparable. Such comparison should include other elements, such as minimum term and penalties which can also influence the price. Emphasizes that customers should be able to access all information usage related to their service options free of charge. In order to limit the effects of bill-shock and encourage consumer-awareness, consumers should be allowed to be able to set up usage limits not only for roaming services, but also for domestic services, especially data, as many times they are not aware of the effect of their usage on their bills;

Amendment 28 #

Bendt BENDTSEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls on Member States to take the necessary steps to facilitate access for smaller operators to the mobile services market, which is today characterised by a few dominant actors;

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Commission to improve SMEs' access to capital markets by streamlining information and making funding procedures easier; Urges the Member States to foster SMEs' participation in public procurement by launching electronic procurement procedures, simplifying administration, reducing red tape, dividing procurements into lots and accelerating payments to subcontractors;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9

9. Calls on the Commission to improve SMEs' access to capital markets by streamlining information and making funding procedures easier, more efficient and more transparent;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. points out that the participation of EU companies in cross-border public procurement remains very low, and EU companies, particularly SMEs, face difficulties participating in cross-border public procurement due to the different and complicated administrative procedures that exist; welcomes the public procurement reform proposed by the Commission and considers that setting common principles at the EU level and flexible, clear and simple public procurement rules would enable companies, above all, SMEs, to better exploit the opportunities offered by cross- border public procurement;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on Member States and the Commission to facilitate investment opportunities for innovative start-ups by removing obstacles that hinders the emergence of an EU wide venture capital market;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Emphasises that it is essential to establish an EU-wide public e- procurement system, which would ensure greater transparency and competitiveness, and would allow public money to be used more efficiently;

Amendment 34 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Member States to create ‘one-stop shops’ by means of which SMEs can apply for European, national and local funds; stresses the importance of 'one-stop shops' as fundamental starting points to attract and enable private investments in the field of research and energy and calls on the Commission to reinforce the measures for further simplification and transparency of the European, national and local financing frameworks.

Amendment 35 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Member States to create ‘one-stop shops’ by means of which SMEs can apply for European, national and local funds; Urges the Member States to facilitate SMEs' access to funds by simplifying the rules of data submission and to promote online data repositories for certificates and other supporting documents.

Amendment 36 #

Krišjānis KARIŅŠ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Member States to ~~create ‘~~evaluate the creation of 'one-stop shops’ by means of which SMEs can apply for European, national and local funds, bearing in mind that 'one-stop shops' have greater added value when they are created at the expense of existing administration, and thus do not increase expenses for the taxpayer.

Amendment 37 #

Bendt BENDTSEN

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

Calls on the Member States to ~~create~~use existing structures and the creation of ‘one- stop shops’ to simplify and facilitate access to information by means of which SMEs can apply for European, national and local funds.

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on the Member States to follow the fundamental single point of contact principle to create ‘one-stop shops’ by means of which SMEs can apply for European, national and local funds.

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Points out that differences in the regulation of e-signatures in the Member States remain a major obstacle to the proper functioning of the EU Single Market, particularly the provision of services; considers that it is essential to establish a single system for the recognition of e-signatures throughout the EU.

Amendment 40 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Calls on Member States and the Commission to secure agreements enabling SMEs to operate all over Europe and commercialise their ideas by granting them better access to markets and reducing red tape.

Amendment 41 #

Seán KELLY

Draft opinion
Sub-heading and paragraph 10 a (new)

E-commerce 10a. Calls on Member States to rapidly implement the Consumer Rights Directive and calls on the Commission use all means available to stimulate the greater penetration of e-commerce as a normal business practice, for both business-to- consumer and business-to-business transactions.

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Subheading 3 a (new)

Single Market for Services

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Stresses the fact that e-government is especially beneficial for citizens and SMEs from the EU, with advantages due to reduced administrative costs, as citizens and SMEs are often confronted with insurmountable obstacles when operating at a cross-border level in the EU;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10b. Points out that the major obstacles to cross-border access to public administration e-services relate to the use of electronic signatures and identification and the lack of compatibility of e- government systems at EU level; calls on the Commission to revise its Directive on electronic signatures to ensure their mutual recognition;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 c (new)

10c. Emphasises the fact that e- government applications should be reviewed, and, if necessary, modified to be also accessible to non-resident users; emphasises the fact that compatibility is necessary at a local, regional and national level, as well as at EU level;

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 d (new)

10d. Calls on the Member States to use ICT tools to improve transparency and accountability, reduce administrative burdens, improve administrative processes, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, save public resources and to contribute to a more participatory democracy, while at the same time strengthening the level of trust and confidence;

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 e (new)

10e. Emphasises the fact that national public e-procurement systems should advance in order to facilitate cross-border services, to ensure the realisation of an internal market for services and to fully apply the Services Directive;

Amendment 48 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 f (new)

10f. Regrets the fact that the legislative proposal aimed at ensuring the full accessibility of public sector websites by 2015 has been deferred; welcomes the roadmap for digital inclusion and calls for the implementation of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for e-government portals;

Amendment 49 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 g (new)

10g. Draws attention to the fact that it is still difficult for passengers to book and buy tickets for multimodal journeys within the EU and calls on the Commission, Member States and companies in the transport sector to ensure the creation of an integrated multimodal ticketing system by 2015;

Amendment 50 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 h (new)

10h. Welcomes the significant growth of e-commerce and draws attention to consumers’ concerns about transaction security; calls on the Member States and the Commission to strengthen the legislative framework that protects consumers using e-commerce and to develop a framework that promotes the certification of e-commerce websites, financial institutions and public institutions, in terms of security, so that consumers can have confidence when they access these websites;

Amendment 51 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 i (new)

10i. Draws attention to the importance of developing European standards, which is absolutely necessary both for the realisation of the Single Market and for increasing the international competitiveness of the EU; calls on the Commission to ensure easier access to European standards for SMEs and micro- enterprises;

Amendment 52 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 j (new)

10j. Welcomes the initiative on e- invoicing, which aims to transform e- invoicing into the predominant billing method in the EU by 2020, as well as the decision of the Commission to create the European Multi-Stakeholder Forum on eInvoicing (EMSFEI;.

Amendment 53 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 k (new)

10k. Emphasises the substantial benefits offered by e-invoicing (shorter payment periods, fewer errors, more efficient VAT collection, reduction in printing and shipping costs and the integrated processing of commercial activities) and invites industry and European Standardisation Organisations to continue their efforts to promote convergence towards a common data model for e-invoicing;

Amendment 54 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 l (new)

10l. Emphasises the importance of legal certainty, a clear technical environment and open and compatible solutions for e- invoicing, based on legal requirements, commercial operations and common technical standards, in order to facilitate its widespread adoption.

source: PE-485.945

2012/03/29 PETI 12 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Draft opinion
Article 2

2. Welcomes the activity of the ‘Points of Single Contact’ (PSCs), which simplify access to information on ~~business opportunitie~~conducting business in the Member States, centralising, in a single national point of contact, all necessary formalities ~~for setting up a busines~~and administrative requirements to establish and expand a business across borders;

Amendment 2 #

Draft opinion
Article 3

3. Welcomes the positive role played by SOLVIT, Your Europe Advice, the Enterprise Europe Network, the European Consumer Centres, the Europe Direct Contact Centre and the European Employment Service in providing ~~solutions to real problem~~information and assistance to citizens, consumers and entrepreneurs in the internal market; calls on the Commission to find ways to improve coordination between these services and avoid duplication of efforts and resources;

Amendment 3 #

Heinz K. BECKER

Draft opinion
Article 3

3. Welcomes the positive role ~~played by~~of SOLVIT, Your Europe Advice, ~~the~~ Enterprise Europe Network, ~~the~~ European Consumer Centres, ~~the~~ Europe Direct Contact Centre and the European Employment Service in providing solutions to real problems in the iInternal mMarket; cCalls on the Commission to find ways to improve coordination between these services ~~and~~, to avoid duplication of efforts and resources and, first and foremost, to enhance public awareness of all these services including their respective scope of responsibility so as to make citizens clearly understand which of the services they should address in a given situation;

Amendment 4 #

Angelika WERTHMANN

Draft opinion
Article 4

4. Calls on the Commission to focus on delivering a single live point of contact for citizens and consumers through the Commission’s representative offices in each Member State; takes the view that a single live point of contact in each Member State would truly help to make the internal market more accessible toin order to provide a user-friendly and more efficient service, which not only gives mere information but also communicates to people what the internal Market means and which opportunities it offers; this could avoid confusion among average citizens, consumers and businesses;

Amendment 5 #

Heinz K. BECKER

Draft opinion
Article 4

4. Calls on the Commission to focus on delivering a single live point of contact for citizens and consumers through the European Commission’s representative offices in each Member State; ~~takes the view~~considers that a single live point of contact in each Member State, w~~ould truly help to make the internal market more accessible to~~hich should carry out its work in close cooperation with the European Parliament's information offices in order to secure a comprehensive one-stop-shop for every individual citizen, would truly help increase the accessibility of the Internal Market for citizens, consumers and businesses;

Amendment 6 #

Nikolaos CHOUNTIS

Draft opinion
Article 4a (new)

4a. Recalls that the main concerns of the citizens are focused on the need for full employment and high quality level social services; stresses the need to guarantee such services; stresses that the mobility of workers in different Member States must be a voluntary act always combined with full respect of labour rights;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Article 5

5. Notes the vast number of petitions received by Parliament’s Committee on Petitions which relate to the problems citizens face within the internal market, particularly as regards incorrect transposition or implementation of EU law; calls on the Commission to incorporate in its report the findings and results of the petitions submitted to Parliament’s Committee on Petitions; stresses that the petitions process should be better utilised to improve the EU’s legislative process, ~~inter alia by making citizens more aware of their right to file a petition~~particularly as regards legislative remedies to barriers to cross-border trade and enforcement of consumer rights;

Amendment 8 #

Nikolaos CHOUNTIS

Draft opinion
Article 5a (new)

5a. Calls on the European Commission and the Member States to set as a priority the respect and promotion of fundamental social and employment rights of the citizens, guaranteeing the protection of all workers, including when they are posted in other Member State;

Amendment 9 #

Nikolaos CHOUNTIS

Draft opinion
Article 6

6. Calls on the Commission to identify the main relevant EU legislation ~~relevant to~~for each of the ~~concerns~~ highlighted~~, so as~~ concerns, in order to provide citizens, consumers and businesses with useful ~~information and a better understanding of the repor~~and more accessible information on their rights in the Single Market;

Amendment 10 #

Draft opinion
Article 8

8. Calls on the Commission to draw up a table for each of the concerns highlighted, indicating which a~~ctor~~uthorities are responsible for solutions to each of the identified root causes ~~identified~~as well as the actions deemed appropriate to address them;

Amendment 11 #

Heinz K. BECKER

Draft opinion
Article 8a (new)

8a. Encourages the Commission and Member States to focus their information campaigns during the European Year of Citizens 2013 on the areas of those concerns that relate to rights based on EU-citizenship as they, on the basis of the selection methodology of the report, truly reflect what matters most to EU-citizens in their everyday live in the Internal Market;

Amendment 12 #

Draft opinion
Article 9a (new)

9a. Recognises the problems faced by citizens in relation to cross-border banking, specifically as regards the opening of a bank account; calls on the Commission to submit a proposal for a legislative act on access, and right of access, to a basic payments account;

source: PE-486.131

2012/12/04 IMCO 82 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas, in the context of the economic, financial and social crisis that is currently affecting Europe, it is essential to abolish obstacles and relaunch the single market, contributing to innovation, growth, promoting competitiveness, job creation and increased market confidence,

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)

Ab. whereas deepening the single market will benefit all European citizens, thereby contributing to the territorial, economic and social cohesion of the European Union,

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)

Ac. whereas the single market constitutes a key element in realising the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy, and in achieving the objectives of intelligent, sustainable and inclusive growth,

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)

Ad. whereas, the new paradigm for political thought on relaunching the single market should focus on the citizens, consumers and, in particular, SMEs,

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas only one in every three European citizens knows that they must ~~tak~~be their bearer of a European health insurance card w~~ith them when travelling abroad;~~hen travelling abroad and that this card is indispensable for short-term stays, such as holidays, business trips or periods studying in another country,

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas European citizens who move to other countries and intend to take their car with them are faced with onerous and complex procedures, requiring documentation that does not exist in their own country and payment of additional taxes; whereas European citizens intending to purchase a car in another EU Member State experience similar difficulties,

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas market failure has led to excessive costs for telephone and internet services, such as rates for roaming,

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

Ga. whereas figures from the European Consumer Centres (ECCs) show that online purchases account for the majority (59 %) of complaints made by consumers,

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas 62 % of European consumers would like to change energy supplier but their freedom of choice is limited by the lack of clear and comparable information; whereas this change would represent a saving of EUR 100 per customer, or EUR 13 million across Europe,[1] [1] Commission staff working paper – The Single Market through the lens of the people: A snapshot of citizens’ and businesses’ 20 main concerns

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas 62 % of European energy consumers would like to ~~change energy supplier~~switch to a cheaper tariff but their freedom of choice is limited by the lack of clear and comparable information; and the obstacles to ending their existing energy supply contracts,

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

Ha. whereas 26 % of European consumers surveyed experienced problems with internet services provision and whereas the process of switching from one internet service provider to another is complicated and expensive, and consumers frequently experience poor quality of service and uneven enforcement of national rules,

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas businesses continue to face problems accessing public procurement contracts in other ~~countries due~~Member States, both as contractors and as subcontractors due in particular to differing national practices in public procurement and the complex administrative demands in some Member States; as well as existing language barriers,

Amendment 13 #

Konstantinos POUPAKIS

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas improvement in the access of SMEs to funding in the current economic climate acquires great importance both for the survival and development of the enterprises themselves and for strengthening entrepreneurship and development in Europe generally,

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas special attention must be paid to people with disabilities so that they can make the most of the single market; , taking action to ensure that new electronic content is also fully available to disabled people, in accordance with the international Web Content Accessibility Guidelines,[1] and in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which set out accessibility obligations,[2] [1] Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/ [2] See http://www.un.org/disabilities/convention/ conventionfull.shtml

Amendment 15 #

Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS

Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)

Ja. whereas the deepening of the Single Market in the personal telecommunications field, particularly regarding roaming, would be very welcomed by European citizens,

Amendment 16 #

Ramon TREMOSA i BALCELLS

Motion for a resolution
Recital J b (new)

Jb. whereas the elimination of regulatory and physical barriers to the creation of a European Single Railway area, particularly regarding freight transport, would enhance economic growth inside the single market,

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Congratulates the European Commission on this significant initiative in response to the difficulties and concerns faced by citizens and businesses in exercising those rights conferred on them by the European Union; urges the Commission to verify and update this ‘snapshot of citizens’ and businesses’ 20 main concerns’ two years from now; (Reinsertion of paragraph 23 with addition.)

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Expresses its belief that faced with these 20 main concerns of citizens, the European Commission should present concrete ~~proposal~~actions to resolve them;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Expresses its belief~~Demands that faced with these 20 main concerns of citizens, the European Commission should present concrete and feasible proposals to resolve them;

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Recognises that increased mobility of qualified labour ~~will~~can contribute to making Europe more competitive, and to this end it is necessary to adopt a modern framework for recognising professional qualifications;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Recognises that increased mobility of qualified labour will contribute to making Europe more competitive, and to this end it is necessary to adopt a modern framework for recognising professional qualifications linked to the Single Market Information System alert mechanism ;

Amendment 22 #

Cornelis de JONG

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Expresses its concern about the emergence of fraudulent employment agencies who engage in the exploitation of labour throughout the EU, thus undermining the well functioning of freedom of movement of workers, and calls upon the Commission and Council to elaborate an action plan to address this issue, for example, by improved co- operation between national labour inspectorates.

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Stresses the importance of the European professional card, which will enable quicker recognition of qualifications, thereby facilitating the mobility of workers between Member States, filling remaining gaps and increasing employability in Europe;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Supports the European Commission initiative on creating a European Skills Passport, which will ensure cross-border recognition of professional qualifications, thereby allowing people to keep a record of skills they have acquired, which will make European workers more mobile and employable, with skills acquired when doing voluntary work potentially being of particular benefit when seeking work;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Highlights the lack of information for officials and other employees of regional and local governments on the possibilities for European and international mobility; stresses that the European and international mobility of these officials and employees will contribute to the creation of administrations that are more modern and efficient in the Member States, which are crucial to the implementation of the EU acquis, as well as enabling the exchange of best practices;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the European Commission to strengthen mobility programmes for young people to encourage them to enhance their skills, thereby becoming more employable and able to enter the labour market;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the European Commission to encourage SMEs to recruit young people who have studied abroad and to strengthen mobility programmes ~~for young people~~ to encourage them to enter the labour market;

Amendment 28 #

Cornelis de JONG

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls on the Commission to be proactive in detecting and recognising market failures, such as the lack of transparency in energy bills, the restricted access to a basic banking account and the excessive costs of telephone and internet services, and asks the Commission to, when relevant, come with proposals to deal with any such market failures;

Amendment 29 #

Konstantinos POUPAKIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Calls on the European Commission to strengthen programmes that contribute to improvement of the entrepreneurship, internationalisation and competitiveness of European SMEs, the backbone of the European economy;

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Stresses the role of the internet in business efficiency and in creating new markets and opportunities, and reiterates that an on-line European dispute-resolution platform is indispensable;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Stresses the r~~ole of the internet in business efficiency and~~apidly increasing role of e- commerce in creating new markets, growth and opportunities for businesses;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Stresses the role of the internet in business efficiency and in creating new markets and opportunities; stresses the role of the ADR and ODR systems in digital single market in Europe

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Stresses the need for the European institutions and the Member States to step up efforts to create a single market that is fairer, more operational, more competitive and more effective;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Stresses the need to increase the holistic approach to the single market, centred on practical and useful solutions for citizens, consumers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), so that they may fully benefit from its advantages, while not giving rise to overregulation;

Amendment 35 #

Cornelis de JONG

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Recognises, that for the well functioning of the internal market, it is also important to protect social rights and recalls the recommendation made by Professor Monti in his report to the Commission that "the social dimension of the internal market should receive greater attention by delivering on the commitment to real ´social impact assessments´ based on the development of more sophisticated methodologies and upgraded statistical information".

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Reaffirms the need to strengthen cooperation between Parliament, the Council, the Commission ~~and~~, the Member States and civil society so that citizens feel more included in the main projects ~~and day-to-day activities~~ of the EU;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Reaffirms the need to strengthen cooperation ~~between~~and interaction between citizens, the Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Member States so that citizens feel included in the main projects and day-to-day activities of the EU and so that EU action, if deemed necessary, is targeted and useful;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Calls on the Commission to develop the ‘Your Europe’ portal to turn it into a genuine digital ‘one-stop shop’ to provide citizens and businesses with information about the single market; calls on the Member States to supply the missing national information in the ‘Your Europe’ portal as soon as possible, to provide more links from their national Government portals related to the various sections of the website and to develop references to ‘Your Europe’ from relevant local and national administration portals so as to facilitate access for citizens;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Stresses the usefulness of ‘Your Europe Advice’, which allows citizens free access to personalised information; calls on the Commission and Member States to take action to considerably raise awareness amongst citizens of the ‘Europe direct’ telephone facility;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Calls on the Commission to ~~analyse the involvement of local and regional authorities in the strategy for expanding the Single Market Information System;~~reform the Internal Market Information System (IMI), extending its scope and improving the way administrative cooperation operates, and to analyse the involvement of local and regional authorities in the strategy for expanding the Single Market Information System; calls on Member States to improve civil services’ understanding of their obligations regarding the use of the IMI and to ensure that their employees receive appropriate training; (Merged with first part of paragraph 28 and expanded)

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Calls on the Commission to rethink the SOLVIT programme, giving it a new framework and appropriate resources and to ensure that all centres have experienced and sufficient staff to enable them to deal with queries submitted to them in a fully satisfactory manner; (Second part of paragraph 28 resumed with one addition)

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Notes the importance of SMEs to the European economy and calls on the European Commission, together with the Member States, to improve the SME test so as to reduce the bureaucracy and administrative overheads to which they are subject, thereby contributing to a business environment that is more favourable to SMEs and promotes entrepreneurship, investment and growth;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Notes the importance of SMEs to the European economy and calls on the European Commission, together with the Member States, to improve the SME test ~~so as to reduce the bureaucracy and administrative overheads to which they are subject~~to ensure it is applied consistently and coherently across all relevant policy areas and is incorporated into the overall assessment of a proposal, not simply published as a stand alone piece of additional information, so as to reduce the bureaucracy and administrative overheads to which they are subject; Calls on the Commission for a review of all directives and regulations which impact negatively on SMEs and to submit a report with recommendations by June 2012;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Recalls the decision of the European Parliament calling on all the parliamentary committees to apply the principles of the SME test to legislative reports when they have been voted on by the relevant committee and are being submitted to plenary for approval, and emphasises the need for quick implementation of this decision. (Justification: This decision originated in an opinion of the IMCO committee and was adopted in paragraph 38 of the Karim report (A7- 0251/2011).)

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Commission to guarantee synergies between the existing instruments such as SOLVIT and the Internal Market Scoreboard, Your Europe Advice and Your Europe; (Resumption of paragraph 25 with one addition)

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Emphasises that the Commission should step up its efforts to focus on the impact of regulations and directives on industry, SMEs and micro-enterprises with Better Regulation targets; Calls for, in particular, the need for the burden reduction programme to continue beyond 2012 with a more ambitious and expanded scope, and the introduction of regulatory burden offsetting;

Amendment 47 #

Konstantinos POUPAKIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Commission to intensify its efforts and overcome the basic obstacles that impede the development of SMEs, introducing immediate improvements to their funding environment, which will contribute to releasing their development potential, strengthening innovation and competitiveness and creating employment;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Calls for the Commission to strengthen its commitment to assessing if there is real added value of action at EU level before work on draft proposals begins;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14c. Welcomes the Commission´s announcement a programme to remove cost burdens for SMEs with a presumption that micro-enterprises will be exempted from burdensome rules unless a case for their inclusion is explicitly made;

Amendment 50 #

Marc TARABELLA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Emphasises that there is a lack of information about the single market, which often means that citizens do not know or do not understand their rights and obligations, and do not know how to obtain the required answers or assistance, all the more so because they do not have sufficient resources to undertake expensive processes or procedures;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Emphasises that there is a lack of information about the single market, which often means that citizens and enterprises do not know or do not understand their rights and obligations, and do not know how to obtain the required answers or assistance;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Emphasises that there is a lack of information about the single market, which often means that citizens and SMEs do not know or do not understand their rights and obligations, and do not know how to obtain the required answers or assistance; emphasises the need to design information that take the specific characteristics of vulnerable consumer groups into account;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Emphasises that it is equally important that citizens can make known their concerns in relation to the internal market and can forward their suggestions in a manner that their voice will be better heard both within the European Commission and the European Parliament.

Amendment 54 #